


Perseverance

by porcelaincomic



Series: Salvation [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Not Beta Read, again no relationship stuff really, as with miracle i changed one big plot point, but i still try to stick as close to canon as i can, if any warnings apply i will update the tags as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27587074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelaincomic/pseuds/porcelaincomic
Summary: Perseverance [pərsəˈvirəns] VERB. Continuance to push forward in a state of grace, despite difficulties, failure, or opposition, leading to eternal life.What's the point when living this way is terrible?Season 6; Female OC.Each episode is divided by chapters.
Series: Salvation [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/748725
Kudos: 1





	Perseverance

**BRUCEVILLE, INDIANA — OCTOBER 23, 2010**

It was an easy enough hunt, a salt-and-burn a few hours outside of Indianapolis, in one of those small towns with less than a thousand people. Where everyone knew each other, and the only gossip was about how one neighbor’s cat killed another neighbor’s bird. Which made the fact that there was vengeful spirit in the area erupted from the mouths of the townsfolk. Tabitha had found the case while searching for unusual happenings nearby, and she and Jaime had packed up no less than an hour after learning about it, arriving in Bruceville and figuring out who the spirit was all within the same day. Thankfully, the body was buried in the local cemetery, so they didn’t even bother to get a room for the night before they started shoveling.

“Hey, so,” Tabitha started, “this is our first vengeful spirit together.”

“Sure.” Jaime answered.

Tabitha snorted, mimicking,  _ “Sure,” _ before she adjusted her stance near the headstone. “So, do you know what to do? With the bones?”

“Yeah, you salt ‘em, then burn ‘em.” Jaime looked at Tabitha, brow raised. “Are you asking because  _ you _ don’t know what to do?”

Tabitha shook her head. “Nah, I was just curious. Didn’t know if you had worked a case with a spirit before. Did you learn that from the Winchesters?”

Jaime paused, gripping the shovel tight for just a moment, before continuing to toss away dirt. “Yeah, I did.” There was a length of silence that stretched between the women, and Jaime sighed. “Do you want me to tell you about it?”

“What? Oh, no, you don’t  _ have _ to,” Tabitha feigned an apologetic look before she smiled, “but if you’re offering, I’ll listen.”

Jaime rolled her eyes, used to her partner’s good-natured attitude about the things that happened during her time with the brothers. “Well, I don’t remember too much, it was less than a month after I had met them. It was more than one spirit, though, I remember that. We thought some lady had killed a bunch of kids, but it turned out to be the kids the whole time. I burned the wrong bones.”

“Yikes. Rookie mistake.”

“Yeah, I know that  _ now. _ ” She chuckled softly. “God, the look that must’ve been on my face when I threw the lighter into the grave, I was terrified. I helped this guy, Chuck—he’s a prophet, apparently, but I still don’t know what that means—keep everyone else there safe while Sam and Dean took care of the ghosts. We were fine in the end.”

“Hold on, back up a little bit.” Tabitha moved her fingers in circles. Jaime straightened up and glanced at her. “Did you say  _ ‘prophet?’ _ ”

“Yeah, you don’t… You’ve never heard of him, then?”

Tabitha shook her head. “Nope. I’ll be honest, Jaime, ever since I found you and that gorgeous car of yours parked outside the library, you’ve opened my eyes to a whole new world of the supernatural I didn’t even know existed.”

“You still don’t believe it exists, you don’t believe me.”

“Damn right, I don’t!” Tabitha laughed. “I’ve dealt with my fair share of crazy, but everything you’ve told me takes the crazy cake. A cake I will acknowledge once I see these apparent  _ angels _ and  _ prophets _ you keep telling me about.”

Jaime turned to continue digging.

“So, if this guy was a prophet, did that make you two, like, distant cousins or something? Miss  _ vessel of God? _ ”

“I think it’s your turn to dig.”

**INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA — NOVEMBER 14, 2010**

“Cheers, little red, to another successful hunt!” Tabitha lifted her drink, a grin spreading her painted lips wide. Jaime smiled, lifting her own glass and clinking it against Tabitha’s, and watched her take a long, deep drink. She nearly slammed the glass down when she was done and let out a heavy exhale. She then eyed Jaime’s water. “How come I never see you drink when we celebrate these things? Or drink ever?”

“I told you, I don’t like alcohol. Plus, it just,” She shrugged, “feels like something I shouldn’t be doing.”

“Right, ‘cause it’s got something to do with God, huh?” Tabitha leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. “I’d say that’s a piss poor excuse for being straight-edge, but I did witness your black eye heal up in a couple of days instead of a few weeks.”

“I can’t believe it only took half a year of us living and working together for you to believe me.”

“Whoa, I never said that.”

“Just admit it, you’re jealous I’ve got Wolverine-levels of healing, thanks to the big guy in the sky. Technically, the guy living rent-free in my body.”

Tabitha visibly cringed. “ _ Eugh. _ Sounds gross when you say it like that.”

Jaime chuckled. She set an elbow on the table and leaned against her palm, closing her eyes and listening to the sounds of the bar. The TIn Roof, a regular stop and seemingly second home, for Tabitha, had quickly become the same thing for Jaime after they started working together. On the surface, it was a decent bar, with live music that played almost daily, that held a decent crowd each night, but the reality was much different. It was a hunter bar, one that was filled with information if any hunter needed it. Jaime had gotten to know everyone who worked there almost as well as Tabitha did, including the bouncer she lied to the night she followed Tabitha. Thankfully, Zakary didn’t hold it against her, since Tabitha had told him she knew Jaime was tailing her.

The chatter in the building melded together, and the occasional clinking of glasses kept Jaime from dozing off after their hunt with a group of vampires in Elkhart, three hours north of Indianapolis. She heard Tabitha’s glass leave the table as she took another drink, and she continued to listen to the white noise in the bar—

“Can we get two beers here, please?”

Every muscle in Jaime’s body seized up at the sound of his voice. Her eyes snapped open, alert and panicked, and darted around the bar, searching. Then she saw him. He was sitting on the other side of the room, thankfully, and gesturing for a waitress to head to his table. There was a man she didn’t recognize with him, but it didn’t matter.  _ Dean. What’s he doing here? _ She watched him speak to the waitress, smiling as he ordered for himself and the other man.

“Jaime? What’s wrong?” Tabitha leaned forward, looking at Jaime’s face, before turning and following her gaze. “Who’s that?”

It took her a moment to find her voice. “It’s Dean.”

Tabitha’s mouth fell open as she stared, surprised, but was quickly replaced with a slight smirk. “Well, small world, huh?” Jaime seemed to snap out of it as Tabitha rose out of her seat, turning towards where Dean was. She lurched forward and grabbed the woman’s wrist, immediately pulling away when Tabitha’s face twisted up in pain. Still, she stopped moving and looked at Jaime. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d want to talk to him, after everything that happened?”

Jaime shook her head, eyes darting between her partner and Dean. He hadn’t noticed her. “No, I can’t—I can’t be here. He can’t see me, he can’t know that—that I’m here.” She grabbed her jacket. “I left for a reason, He let me leave for a reason. Tabitha, I promise, I—I’ll talk to you later, I just… I have to go.”

Tabitha didn’t say anything as she watched Jaime head out of the bar and disappear outside. She turned to stare at the Winchester. He didn’t look her way, and she took another drink.

_ ‘Heads up, Winchester’s leaving.’ _

Jaime stared at Tabitha’s text, then lifted her head to see Dean stepping out of the bar. She hadn’t left, just headed to the car and waited. She watched him say goodbye to the man he had been sitting with, then approach and climb inside of a pickup truck.  _ Where’s the Impala? _ She looked away to message Tabitha back.

_ ‘I’m following him. Taking the car. Sorry.’ _

Tabitha’s response was immediate.  _ ‘Good luck.’ _

Jaime tossed her phone onto the passenger’s seat and turned the key, starting up the Buick and following Dean as he drove away.

**CICERO, INDIANA**

The lights were on inside of the two-story house that Dean had driven to. He pulled into the driveway, got out of the truck, and headed inside. Jaime watched as he stepped into the kitchen, where a woman looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back and kissed her. A young boy then came into view and said something, and Dean seemed to answer him. The smile never left his face, even as all three of them turned away from the window.

_ I can’t believe this… Not even an hour from where I am, and he’s… He got out. _

The kitchen light turned off, blanketing the first floor of the house in darkness. Jaime sat back in the driver’s seat.  _ He got out, like he promised. _ Her hands clenched around the steering wheel.  _ How? How was he able to do it? Why can’t I? Why can’t I just…leave, start over like he did? _ She lifted her head and stared at the house again.

She wanted to get out of the car and run to the front door. She wanted to pound her fist against it and see Dean’s face when he saw her. She wanted to confront him, ask how he was able to walk away from what happened. She wanted to scream about how it wasn’t fair, how he could leave when she couldn’t, and everytime she tried, something happened that proved she would never be able to. That she would never have the life she had before Castiel found her on the side of the road.

Jaime could feel the leather of the steering wheel start to give under her grip. She quickly pulled her hands away and stared at the slight indents in the shape of her palms and fingers. She dropped her hands into her lap, ringing them together, and looked back at the house.  _ Dean… How did you do it? _

Her hands were sore by the time she finally put the car back in drive.  _ This is what Sam wanted for him. He has a family now, he’s…out. He doesn’t need to know about me, about what I’m doing or…or that I’m alive. He’s happy now. I can’t jeopardize that, I won’t.  _ She watched the house grow smaller in the rearview mirror before it finally disappeared from her sight.

**INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA — DECEMBER 31, 2010**

The apartment was buzzing, filled with chatter and music. Tabitha, in her inebriated state, mingled with the crowd of people she and Jaime—mostly her, though—had invited to their apartment to celebrate the new year. In the seven months they had known each other, Tabitha’s social status continued to surprise Jaime. It was as if the woman knew at least one thing about anyone she met, even if she were meeting them for the first time. She was able to turn on her charm easily, definitely being the more charismatic of the pair, and that was proven again when she shouted that there would be an after- _ after _ party at their apartment since the Tin Roof had reached maximum capacity for the night. A crowd of no less than twenty people accepted the offer, and Jaime had quickly brought out the good alcohol when they got back to their sixth-floor apartment.

“Jaime, hey! Jaime!” Tabitha called over the music. Jaime chuckled. It wasn’t unbearably loud inside the apartment, but the other woman still had to raise her voice to be heard. She swung an arm around her waist, pulling her towards a pair of hunters that Jaime vaguely recognized as other Tin Roof regulars but had never really spoken to. Tabitha paused, taking a deep breath to keep from slurring her words. “Tell… Tell Jesse and Cesar what you were doing this time last year.”

Jaime pursed her lips as she looked up at the two hunters. They were both taller than either woman, but looked nothing other than amused as they humored Tabitha. “I was hunting a wraith in Oklahoma.”

“With?” Tabitha pressed.

Jaime’s eyes narrowed as she glanced at her. “With some other hunters. I’ve already told you this story, why aren’t you telling it?”

Tabitha’s head rolled back as she groaned in annoyance. “Because I’m too drunk to remember all the juicy bits.”

“There were no juicy bits, Tabitha.”

The men laughed, and the bald one pointed at Tabitha with a grin. “She’s a fun drunk, huh?”

“Unfortunately.” Jaime said, earning another groan from Tabitha as she extracted herself from the woman’s grip. As she did, she could feel someone watching her, and the presence felt strangely familiar. She rubbed the back of her neck, but that did nothing to ease the feeling, so she discreetly glanced around the apartment, searching for whoever’s eyes were on her.

She quickly found him. She locked eyes with a blond man leaning against the wall amidst the throng of other people. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she recognized the feeling, the power coming from him.  _ Oh, god, that’s an angel. _ Something in his eyes changed when he saw her expression shift into something more fearful. He tilted his head towards the door, signaling for her to leave.

“Are you okay?”

Jaime turned to see the hunters staring at her. She glanced at Tabitha, who was swaying a bit but looked concerned. “Yeah, I just… I’m getting a little warm; I think I’m gonna head out to the fire escape for a bit.”

Tabitha put a hand on her shoulder. “All right, Jaime, I’ll…” Her words were a bit more slurred than before. “I’ll come check on you, if I remember.”

Jaime smiled but said nothing as she moved away. She looked at the man again, who was still watching her, as she gripped the door handle and stepped out of the apartment. She headed for the fire escape at the end of the hall, her mind racing.  _ What the hell is an angel doing here? The apartment’s warded, and the sigils I drew should’ve kept him out. What about the bar? Did he follow us from there? One of the other hunters must have noticed something, there’s no way he just slipped by everyone. How did he find me? Who is he? I thought— _

“You think too loud, vessel.” The accented voice came from behind her, and Jaime looked up and spun around at the same time. The surprise of realizing she was on the fire escape, now looking at the angel, as well as the dizziness that came with her quick turn caught her off guard. The bottom of her shoe slipped against the grate, and the railing of the ledge dug into her back as she stumbled. The angel gripped her arm, pulling her forward and away from her possible fall. “Careful. I’d make a  _ ‘falling for me already’ _ joke, but I don’t think that’s exactly appropriate at the moment.”

She leaned against the steel staircase, staring at him. He was definitely older than her, with deep-set blue eyes beneath a strong brow. Facial hair dotted his upper-lip and chin, and he was dressed casually in a dark v-neck and cardigan. “Who are you?”

“C’mon, Dad, you don’t recognize me?”

“I asked you a question, not Him. Answer me.”

“ _ Ooh. _ ” He said, leaning back against the railing. “Bit feistier than I would have pegged you for, minx.”

_ What? _

“Name’s Balthazar. One of the heavenly hosts, obviously.”

“I’ve never heard of you.”

“This is a great first impression, vessel, really, one of the best I’ve experienced.”

“What are you doing here? How did you get past the wards?”

“Oh, you warded the apartment? I could barely tell, it was done so poorly.” Jaime glared, but he ignored it and continued. “I just happened upon a group of people who seemed to be enjoying the last night of the decade and, feeling a familiar  _ parental figure _ in the midst, decided to tag along. Still, shorter than I thought.”

“I swear, if I get one more comment on my height; I’m not even that short!” Jaime heard Balthazar chuckle, and her face grew momentarily warm.

“At least you’re funny. I was worried you’d have a stick up your ass or, hell, blast me back to Heaven once you got me alone. How’s it been, by the way?”

He gestured to her chest, where her heart was, and she shifted, suddenly feeling awkward. “I mean, it’s not  _ great. _ Most things can tell something’s different about me, I guess. Demons say they can smell Him on me.”

“Disgusting, simple things, aren’t they?”

Jaime paused. “So, you’re not here to kill me? Take me to Heaven, or whatever it is the angels want?”

“Minx, as far as any of the angels know, I’ve been dead for far longer than you were even a twinkle in my Dad’s eye.”

_ Dead? _ “Why would—”

“That’s a bit personal, minx, we’ll have to get to know each other  _ very well _ before I let you take a peek behind that door.” He looked her up and down for a moment. “So, would you like to tell me your name, or do you prefer  _ ‘vessel?’ _ ”

“Please, don’t. Jaime’s fine.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He tilted his head slightly. “Your reputation through the grapevine precedes you.”

“Oh? And what have you heard?”

“Other than the fact that the Winchesters and Cassie got their hands on you when the whole apocalypse mess started, nothing substantial.”

“You know them?”

Balthazar shook his head. “Not the Winchesters, but Cas, he and I go quite a ways back.” He stopped, glancing at Jaime and smirking. “Once again, minx, that’s a door I’m not ready to open for you.”

Jaime sighed. “That’s fine. I mean, I guess I kind of understand? Heaven doesn’t seem all that fun. Most of the angels I’ve met are assholes, no offense.”

“Oh, no, I agree. My brothers and sisters are some of the most uptight sons of bitches ever created, always following rules and never having any sort of fun.”

Jaime, eyes wide in surprise, did her best to hide her smile. She had been worried about him, but now, listening to Balthazar bash the angels and Heaven, she felt a weight lift off her chest. He wasn’t a threat, as far as she could tell, and had just wanted to meet her. She could oblige him in a conversation then, no harm in that.

“Hey, Jaime, you doin’ okay out here?” Tabitha stuck her head out of the window, and her already-lidded eyes narrowed even more at the angel. “And  _ who _ are  _ you? _ ”

“Name’s Balthazar, doll. I’m an angel.”

Jaime’s eyes darted between the two. “Balthazar, what are you doing?” She whispered through her teeth. “We’re hunters, you can’t—”

“Oh, I see. She’s got you in on this too, huh? The whole  _ ‘God’ _ and  _ ‘angels actually exist’ _ stuff?” Tabitha sighed. “Well,  _ angel,  _ make sure you bring her back, the ball’s gonna drop in a few minutes.” She dipped back into the building.

Jaime turned to Balthazar, frowning. “Why’d you tell her that?”

“Because angels are just something you made up, minx.” He grinned. “Don’t worry. Your friend’s so drunk, she won’t remember half the night when she wakes up tomorrow.”

_ Oh. _ “That’s…fine, then.” She pushed off the stairs and moved towards the window. “Are you coming?”

“No, I got what I wanted tonight.”

“What was that?”

“Proof that there was no harm in a conversation.” Her wide-eyed expression made him laugh, and Balthazar sent her a quick wink. “Be seeing you, Jaime,” before he vanished from the fire escape.

Fireworks went off all around her, illuminating the building and the steel railing where the angel had stood in an array of bright, blinding colors and lights. Jaime pressed her hands over her ears as the city shouted unanimously,  _ “Happy New Year!” _

**MEDORA, INDIANA — APRIL 15, 2011**

“How many?”

Jaime frowned as she watched the farmhouse through her binoculars. “Can’t tell. At least more than half a dozen.”

“What the hell’s a group that size doing out here, let alone working together?” Tabitha opened her shotgun, making sure it was fully loaded, before she glanced past the tractor the two of them were hiding behind.

“Does it matter? Let’s just get rid of them.”

“Of course it matters, Jaime. If it were just two or three, that’d be fine, but eight, nine? Demons don’t group up like this unless there’s something going on.”

Jaime turned back to the farmhouse. We can always leave one alive and ask ‘em what’s up. This place has enough to worry about without a damn demon infestation right outside of town.”

Tabitha nodded, and they kept low as they moved from the tractor and approached the farmhouse. They would handle this the way they always handled demons, with some slight adjustments due to the unknown number inside. As they drew closer, Jaime spotted more through the windows, upping the estimate to at least a dozen.  _ Why are there so many of them? _

Carefully rounding the side of the building, she was able to catch a bit of the demons’ conversations. Something about whether or not they had found someone or something, and that whoever they were reporting to would be pissed if they returned empty-handed. Odd, but Jaime didn’t think anything of it as she leaned against the wall. Tabitha gestured at the back door between them, but it didn’t budge when Jaime turned the handle. She took a deep breath and let a familiar, warm vibration move from her chest, through her arm, and into her hand. The door unlocked with a soft click. Hopefully none of the demons inside heard.

She noiselessly pushed the door open and crept inside, with Tabitha right behind her. The conversations in the farmhouse grew louder, and Jaime did her best to tune them out and focus on the sound of her footsteps. They approached an archway that led into the rest of the house, pausing for just a moment to check if—

“Holy crap, it’s you.” Jaime turned, raising her pistol at the demon, but he was fast. He reached forward and jerked her arms upwards, causing her to fire into the ceiling. Shouting filled the farmhouse at the sound of her gunshot. She glared at the demon, gritting her teeth as she tried to pull her hand away, and his eyes were wide as he stared at her. “It really is you. What a small world—”

**_BAM!!_ **

The round from Tabitha’s shotgun lodged itself into the demon’s head, sending his body into the opposite wall as it flickered orange. “Jaime, come on!” She shouted, ejecting the empty shell before stepping past the archway. Jaime followed, cursing as demons descended the stairs and rounded every corner.

She could see it in their eyes, the realization of who she was. She could hear it under their breath, the whispers of  _ ‘vessel’ _ and  _ ‘she’s real’ _ before they attacked. Her pistol continued to put bullets through their skulls, their bodies glowing orange as they fell, and she kicked and punched at them as she fought. But they kept coming, more emerging from upstairs, from the back and front doors. Jaime could hear Tabitha struggling as they grew outnumbered.

There was a loud clatter as Tabitha’s shotgun was knocked out of her hands, and a few of the demons completely surrounded her. Jaime tried to look for an opening, becoming distracted. One of the demons lunged and pushed her to the ground. She hit her head against the floor, and the world shook and immediately blurred. The edges of her vision darkened, and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and right herself. She could hear overlapping shouts and felt hands grabbing at her body, pulling her arms behind her back and lifting her to stand. When she opened her eyes, things had become a little more clear, but black still lingered at the corners, and a female demon stepped in front of her.

She must have been the leader of whatever operation was happening, and a smile spread across her face as her black eyes bore into Jaime’s. “How surprisingly perfect. We were sent out to find an Alpha, and the Alpha of Heaven walks right through our front door.”

“Actually, we snuck in the back.”

The demon glared at Tabitha, before her gaze shifted to one of the demons holding her. The demon grabbed a handful of Tabitha’s dark hair, and the others that surrounded her moved as he slammed her head into the floor. A pained sound tore from the woman’s throat, and her nose looked broken when the demon lifted her head. There were fresh bruises already forming across her face. Tabitha stared at the female demon with a harsh look as she spit fresh blood at her.

“Your friend should watch her mouth, or I’ll break more than just her nose.”

Jaime grit her teeth. “What the hell’s an Alpha?”

“Oh, you caught that? You’re not as stupid as you look.” The demon smirked. “I would explain, but I think I’d prefer to knock you out and let Crowley deal with you.”

_ Crowley? Where have I—The demon who had the Colt, the one who made the deal with Bobby. _ “What does he have to do with this? He the brains behind this thing, whatever it is?”

“Like I said, vessel, I’ll let him talk your ear off. I think he’ll forgive us for losing an Alpha if we bring you in.” She tilted her head, and the demons holding Jaime started to pull her away.

“Jaime!”

She could hear Tabitha struggling to get free as she was led towards a door set into the staircase. It most likely led to a basement, and Jaime jerked and twisted against the demons. It didn’t work, there were too many holding her, gripping at her arms and her body. Her chest felt unbearably hot before the heat suddenly lit up her entire body. She flinched as a sharp ringing pierced her ears and a brightness illuminated from behind her eyes.

A white light burst from Jaime’s body as the ringing filled the room. Tabitha rushed to lower her head and press her hands over her ears when the demons released her, trying to do the same. Their shrieks sounded out from everywhere inside the house. They tried to run, tried to get away from her, but the sound and the light brought them to their knees. Tabitha watched as some of them collapsed to the floor, their eyes bulging before they burst from their skulls.

Jaime could see it, too. She realized what was happening and had expected to black out, but that didn’t happen. She watched as the demons moved away and tried to resist. They all eventually crumpled to the floor, eye sockets empty and blackened and blood dripping from their ears. The ringing and light faded, and the two women stared at the bodies around them.

“Jaime?” Tabitha breathed, slowly taking her hands off her ears. “Would you like to tell me what the  _ hell _ that was?”

She watched Tabitha stand up. “I…I don’t know, I really… You… You’re okay, though, right?”

“I mean,” She gestured to her face, “besides the usual wear and tear, it looks like it. I don’t feel any different, if that’s what you meant.”

“But…the light, and the—the sound, are you sure?”

Tabitha nodded. “Yeah, it was just really bright and really loud, but not enough to…to do  _ this. _ ” She glanced around the room, eyes drifting over the bodies. “You wanna take a shot in the dark at what it might’ve been?”

“Uh… If I had to guess, …God?” Jaime expected to see the familiar look of doubt on Tabitha’s face when she turned back to her, but there was only unreserved concern. “I think something like this has happened before, but I usually black out and wake up when it’s over.”

“ _ ‘Over,’ _ as in…?”

“As in dead, yeah.”

Tabitha pursed her lips as she stepped over a few of the bodies to reach Jaime. “Well, think of it this way, you’ve got a cool new party trick to show off at the bar?”

“I didn’t like what happened when I’d pass out, this isn’t an improvement, Tabitha.”

“I guess…” She sighed, looking around for a moment before she seemed to remember something. “Oh, hey! That demon they mentioned, what was his name, Creely? Crawl-y?”

“Crowley.”

“Yeah, who is that?”

Jaime looked at the bodies, lips turning up into a sickened frown. “Can we talk outside?”

“Sure, this place is full of stiffs, anyway.”

“Oh, you are so  _ not _ funny.”

**CICERO, INDIANA — JUNE 10, 2011**

Dean was moving. He, Lisa, and Ben were so busy moving boxes into the van parked in front of their house that none of them paid any attention to the Buick just a few houses down, or the woman that watched them sitting in the driver’s seat. She leaned on her arm, resting against the window frame, and kept her eyes on Dean as he turned towards her.

He looked troubled. His hands were on his hips, and he had a blank, far-off expression on his face, as if he were thinking about something. He shook his head and turned back to the house. Lisa walked past him and watched as he stepped inside, a concerned look on her own face. Jaime chewed on her lip as she watched them.  _ What happened? _

**INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA**

“How was Dean?” Tabitha asked from the living room when Jaime walked inside the apartment. “Finally manage to say  _ ‘hello?’ _ ”

Jaime moved past her and headed into the kitchen, setting her jacket on the island counter. She opened the fridge and brought out a bottle of water, leaning against the door as she tilted her head back and took a drink. “He’s leaving.”

“Leaving?” Tabitha shifted on the couch, sitting up. She grabbed the remote and turned off the television. “What do you mean, where’s he going?”

“I don’t know.”

Tabitha was quiet for a moment. “Isn’t that a good thing?” Jaime didn’t answer, but she stared at Tabitha, encouraging her to continue. “I mean, you’ve been going to see him…a lot. Maybe him leaving will help you, I don’t know, break free from the chains of your old life, or whatever.” She chuckled at the last part.

Jaime looked at the floor. “Yeah, maybe.” She said, then shrugged. “I don’t know, I hope so. Maybe.”

“You sound so sure, little red.”

She sighed, setting the water on the island counter, and pressed her face into her hands. “I just… I know it seems like a good thing, but Dean, he didn’t look great. He seemed bothered by something, and Lisa and Ben looked worried, too. Everything’s been fine up until now, so something must’ve happened to make them pack up and leave like this.”

“Do you want to find out?”

She ran her hands through her hair.  _ I’m not sure… It’s been more than a year since the apocalypse was stopped, almost two since they found me, but that shouldn’t matter anymore. Dean’s living free from this life. And, if he’s leaving…then I can be free too, in a sense anyway.  _ “No.” She finally said. “Sam’s gone, and he promised he’d leave all this. I used to want to tell him I’m alive, let him know nothing’s changed, but I couldn’t do that to him. I  _ can’t. _ He kept his promise to Sam. I’m not gonna be the one to make him break it.”

Tabitha watched Jaime’s sullen expression, before she moved off the couch and over to the kitchen pantry. She reached inside and pulled out a can, setting it down in front of Jaime. It was a can of soup. “Want some gourmet chicken noodle?”

Jaime smiled. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

**JUNE 20, 2011**

A tremendous, familiar pain violently tore Jaime from her sleep as it spread through her body. She shot up out of bed, unable to hold back a scream, and fell onto the floor. The lights in the bedroom turned on as the pain worsened, growing brighter and brighter until the bulbs burst, blanketing the room in darkness. She pressed her head into the carpet, attempting to lessen the agonizing feeling. Her scream cut off as she lost her voice, and the pain suddenly started to fade, just like it always did. She collapsed onto her side, panting and unable to move.

The bedroom door was thrown open as Tabitha ran inside. Jaime could hear her voice, concerned and confused, when she didn’t see her on the bed before spotting her on the floor. “Jaime, are you okay? I heard a scream, what happened?” She knelt down beside her, careful not to touch her in case anything was broken.

Jaime stared at nothing as she remained on the floor.  _ That was an angel. What the hell’s going on? After a year of nothing, why? Does it have something to do with Dean? Maybe…Cas, too. _ She started to push herself up.  _ Why, what’s happening? Balthazar hasn’t told me anything about the angels, but… Something bad is happening, it has to be. _

**ROYAL CENTER, INDIANA — SEPTEMBER 29, 2011**

“I’m telling you, I don’t care what kind of agents you two are,” The sheriff said, shoving a finger in Tabitha’s face, “you’re not gonna go around my town diggin’ up graves!”

“And  _ I’m _ telling you, I’ve been given orders, direct government orders, to dig up Frank Reyes’ grave, and you interfering with that is teetering into federal crime territory,  _ sheriff! _ ” Tabitha shoved a finger right back at him.

Jaime remained by the headstone, leaning against the grip of the shovel, as she watched the argument unfold. She and Tabitha were just about to dig up a grave to salt-and-burn away a vengeful spirit, when the police car pulled up and the sheriff stepped out, shouting almost immediately. Typical things that people shouted; what were they doing, that they shouldn’t be there, and he’s gonna have to take them in. Typical. Tabitha challenged him, as she usually did with headstrong authority figures, which often resulted in her having to—

“You know what? How ‘bout I get my supervisor on the phone for you?”

“Please, go ahead, ma’am!”

“Oh, I will, sheriff!” Tabitha pulled out her phone, held down a button and brought it to her ear. She started to speak to the person on the other line, then held the phone towards the sheriff. There was a smirk on her face as she said, “My supervisor, WIllis.”

The sheriff snatched the phone and held it against his ear as he started to talk, but went silent as he was interrupted. Tabitha’s smirk had grown as the sheriff was chewed out, and Jaime, even from where she was standing, could hear the familiar, stern voice that often bailed them out of situations where they had been caught and needed to be vouched for. She never called, though. She wouldn’t call.

“Yes, sir, I understand.” The sheriff said, his manner shifting as the other line stopped shouting. “Yes, I won’t—Yes, sir. Goodbye, sir.” He thrust the phone back at Tabitha. “Here.”

“Thank you, sheriff.” She said, taking the phone and saying, “Thank you, WIllis. I’ll be sure to call again when the job’s done,” before she hung up.

“Just don’t be nuisances. If I get a single call mentioning you or what you’re doing, I’m escorting you out of town myself.”

Tabitha put a hand on the sheriff’s shoulder. “I promise, sheriff,” She said as he jerked away, “once we’ve finished our business here, we’ll be on our way. My supervisor didn’t intend for us to stay any longer than we needed to, so you don’t need to worry about any fancy escorts.”

It was as if he physically puffed up in frustration, face turning a shade of red, and huffed as he turned away. He muttered all the way back to his car, slamming the driver’s door shut, and didn’t take his eyes off of them until he had completely turned around and headed out of the cemetery. Tabitha didn’t relax until his car was mostly gone, letting out an irritated sound as she gripped her shovel tight. She stomped back to the grave and violently drove the cutting edge into the ground, pushing it deep and pulling up a hefty amount of dirt.

“God, I  _ hate _ cops! Any time they show up, all they do is piss me off! They don’t know jack about what’s goin’ on, why do they feel the need to butt in all the damn time!”

Jaime let her partner rant as she started to dig, humming occasionally in agreement, and it wasn’t until Tabitha called her that she actually said something. “Yeah?”

“Did,” She paused, having noticeably calmed down, “did you want to say anything to Bobby?” Jaime took a deep breath. “I know he usually covers for us midwest hunters, and you had said you didn’t want to talk to him, but it’s been—”

“There’s no  _ ‘but,’ _ Tabitha. I have nothing to say to him.” She said, focusing on digging. “Just like Dean.”

“Bobby’s still in the life, though. I’m sure he’d like to know you’re around.”

“I don’t know about that. I’m sure I was more a pest than anything to him.” A smile came over Jaime’s face as she remembered, before it quickly disappeared. “Even if he did, I don’t want him to. It wasn’t just the Winchesters I left, it was him, too.”

Tabitha pouted. “All right. I guess you’ll talk when you feel like it. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“You shouldn’t say that when this is our line of work.”

“I like the danger, little red.”

**Author's Note:**

> *holds up a radio as BACK IN BLACK plays* I’M BACK BITCHES!!
> 
> seriously though, it took me long enough to start this shit up again. thanks for your patience, those of you who were waiting, and welcome to any new readers!! this is a supernatural fanfiction about my oc, jaime (pronounced jay-me)
> 
> sorry for anyone who wanted some team free will action, the gang’ll show up soon enough. this was mostly about jaime (obviously) just living her life away from them. kind of like what dean did, except she couldn’t get away from the life.
> 
> i hope you’re excited for the next chapter and what’s to come!! i probably won’t update again until i’ve got a couple chapters typed up, i just really wanted to get this one out before the weekend was over.
> 
> this chapter clocks in at 25 pages and 6345, i trimmed it down a lot!!
> 
> title is She Ain’t Lonesome by Steve Fister (unfortunate last name;;;)


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